Lust Addiction
by KariHina94
Summary: Following Asuma's death, Shikamaru takes a liking to cigarettes, which Ino does not like one bit. She strikes a deal with Shikamaru to quit smoking. She proposes to give up a piece of herself every time he has a craving for nicotine. Will it work?
1. Chapter 1

**Lust Addiction: Chapter 1 **

The blonde kunoichi sat patiently across from Shikamaru, with an ash blonde eyebrow arching and tapping her finger incessantly, annoying the hell out of him. Shikamaru huffed and the corners of Ino's lips began to curl up in a smirk.

"Hmph…checkmate." Ino said smugly, satisfaction splayed across her face.

"How? How did you? That's! What?" Shikamaru stuttered, unsure of how his teammate could have beaten him.

Triumphantly, Ino jumped up and screamed, "Yes!!! I have defeated the great Shikamaru at chess!"

"Ah… what a drag!" Shikamaru sighed. "You're such a troublesome girl!"

"Na, na, na, na, na! You suck, I win. I own you." Ino taunted, ignoring him and stuck her tongue out.

"Alright…I'm out." Shikamaru said dismissively, getting up and starting to walk away.

"Uh-Uh. Oh no you don't. Shikamaru, we're not finished here."

"Ino, you beat me, it's over," he conceded, cringing at the sound of defeat coming from his own lips.

"Nope, not letting you get off that easily…" she said, winking and pulling his hand.

"What do you want from me, God?" Shikamaru almost silently cried out in a grave tone.

"Hold on, let me think about a punishment for you…" Ino said, gazing off into space, deep in concentration.

"Well let me know when you're done thinking 'cause I'm bored as hell." Shikamaru said as lit up a cigarette and puffed the smoke from the tobacco in and out.

The stench broke Ino's concentration. "Shika-kun, stop that," she demanded, "You know I hate smoking… It reminds me of him…" she said in a nostalgic tone.

"Well I'm sorry, but I smoke; it's like he's living in me." Shikamaru said gazing into the distance methodically.

"Bullshit." Ino remarked, "If anyone brings up memories of Asuma-sensai, it's Kurenai."

"Whatever. Don't care. I smoke because I want to and nothing can stop me," Shikamaru concluded defiantly.

"Oh yeah? Watch this!" Ino challenged as she snatched the cigarette out from between his lips and crushed it with her foot into the grassy earth.

"What do you think about that, huh?" Ino beckoned.

"I'll forgive you." He said with sarcastic monotone as his slipped a new cigarette from his pocket and slid it between his lips.

Ino reached to snatch this one, but Shikamaru pushed her hand fiercely restraining her from access to his burning cigarette. She rolled to the side of him and took his cigarette box and wallet from his pocket.

"Oh, hell no," Shikamaru muttered.

Ino leaped forward and broke into a sprint. "Catch me if you can; bet you you can't!" she yelled as she ran.

On a normal day, he would have let her go and move on with his life, but today she was pissing him off. "Ino, come back here – _**now!"**_ he ordered but she ignored him and vanished into the trees. Shikamaru crushed the barely touched cigarette onto the ground and started to leap.

His blood pulsed through his veins. _'Why the hell is she being so snotty today? It's pissing me off…'_ Shikamaru thought. Today was not a good day for him at all. First of all, he woke up late and exhausted from doing so much tiresome work the night before. Then, his mother just decided to have the sex talk with him again and then ask him when he's going to find a wife. After that, Shikamaru had one of the most humiliating experiences he's had in is life: For the first time in his life, he'd lost a game of chess––to his ditzy teammate, Ino. No… she couldn't have beat him, he thought, she must've cheated or something.

Shikamaru dashed from tree to tree, the soft but steady fast-paced breathing getting closer. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ino leap and not wasting a second, Shikamaru charged after her. Ino sensed him and spun a kick in his direction but Shikamaru swung his head, dodging it. He flashed behind her, grabbed her in mid-air by her waist. Ino writhed with struggle as she tried to loosen his grip. The two plummeted into a soft patch of grass and Shikamaru rolled on the ground, set his palms on the earth and planted himself on top of Ino, holding down both of her wrists.

"Shikamaru!" Ino whined angrily. "Let go of me!" Ino continued breathlessly.

"No. Not until I get my cigarettes." he refused pitilessly.

"You can't have them!" Ino shouted in aggravation as she failed again to loosen his grip on her.

"Where are they?" Shikamaru shouted back impatiently.

"You want them?" Ino asked sardonically. "Heh. Fine. You can have them. They're inside my shirt."

Shikamaru could barely make out the unnatural rectangular shape near her chest. It was then that Shikamaru realized the uncomfortable position they were in. His body pressed against hers, both of their chests pumping in and out. He could feel the heat of her skin spreading into him. Releasing her hands, Shikamaru coughed and got up uncomfortably. He stared at her blankly for a moment as she lay on the ground, her chest still pumping and then offered her a hand. Scoffing, Ino refused his hand, stumbled and struggled to regain balance as she stood up.

Shikamaru shuffled his feet and held out his hand.

"What?" Ino spat at him.

"My cigarettes?"

Ino looked appalled and stared at him.

"Did you really expect I was going to take them out of your shirt? You're out of your mind!" Shikamaru asked her as if the reason was obvious, but in the back of his mind, he really would not have minded taking them out of her shirt. It's only the part after that he worried about.

"No, but I didn't think you would _**persist…"**_ Ino replied.

"Well, that's me. Now give my cigarettes and my money." Shikamaru remarked apathetically.

"Ok!" Ino said, throwing her hands up in compliance and pulling the box out from inside her shirt, which was now warm from being there. She held out the box but as he went to grab it, she jerked back.

"Ino, you troublesome woman! Give me my damn cigarettes!"

"Uh-uh. On one condition."

"What condition?" Shikamaru asked impatiently.

"Promise me you'll follow through on the condition first, or you're not getting them." Ino told him flatly. She was really getting annoying.

"Damn it, what condition Ino?!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Promise me." Ino said, crossing her arms.

Sighing, Shikamaru said, "Fine. I promise. Now, what is it?"

"Ok. After I give you these cigarettes, you have to quit smoking." Ino said.

"Hah! Woman, you're impossible. If that were the case, I'm better off just going out and buying a new pack." Shikamaru said incredulously.

"Fine. How 'bout a negotiation then? Life's all about compromise, baby!" Ino suggested.

"Alright, what kind of compromise?" Shikamaru asked, considering the proposition for a moment.

"What if I help you quit?" Ino asked.

"And how would you do that?" Shikamaru snickered.

Ino looked insulted. "I'll make an incentive of some kind."

"I doubt it." Shikamaru said and shrugged.

"Hmm…" Ino tapped her foot and closed her eyes in concentration. "Ok… why don't I kiss you every time you're craving nicotine?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru hadn't expected her to suggest something so outlandish; he blinked at her a few times and gazed at her. "Ino-chan, are you ok? I think you may be a little out of it."

"Ugh! Shika, I'm perfectly fine. So is it a deal or what?"

Shikamaru bit his lip as he turned the idea over in his head.

"I don't know, Ino… I mean who's to say that you'll satisfy my craving?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out." said Ino simply as she took a step forward.

Shikamaru did not understand what she meant. This was a dumb idea anyway. He just wanted his cigarettes back.

The next instant, Ino pulled him towards her by his shirt and crushed her lips to his. Her lips were soft and smooth against his and her breath was hot. Shikamaru licked her lips and caressed her tongue. She tasted like cotton candy. He pushed harder into her and explored her mouth, moving his lips with hers in a fluid motion. He closed the gap between them and slid his warm fingers down her arms and pulled her by her hips. He enjoyed the delicious humming reverberation he felt coming from deep within her throat. Ino tilted her head up and Shikamaru pulled away, catching his breath.

"Uh…" Shikamaru heard Ino exclaim to herself in a whisper, her fingers lingering on her moist lips as she tried to catch her breath. Shikamaru shuffled his feet back and eyed Ino with a face that spelt utter disbelief.

"Um… yeah. Ok, how was that?" Ino asked nonchalantly, snapping back into reality.

Shikamaru couldn't find words and had difficulty in trying opening his mouth.

"Enough to satisfy a craving?" Ino questioned further.

The only word Shikamaru could think of was '_**Damn…' **_

"Shikamaru," Ino called out.

"I don't know… maybe" Shikamaru managed to say.

"So then it's a deal?" Ino asked hopefully.

"I guess." Shikamaru answered and shrugged.

"Yes! Ha!" Ino shouted, jumping in the air triumphantly, her blue eyes pristine and sparkling with excitement.

Sticking his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru smiled tentatively at the ecstatic Ino and with a motion of his head, he signaled her to walk back with him.

Ino handed him his wallet and Shikamaru looked at her and said, "Ino-chan, you know… I don't think this is going to work. I mean really…"

"We can always try, Shika; we can always try."


	2. Chapter 2

**Lust Addiction: Chapter 2**

"You look different." Chouji observed, munching hungrily on his daily bag of potato chips.

"Do I?" Shikamaru asked in a slightly different tone than his usual blatant monotone as he rocked back and forth in the hammock.

Shikamaru couldn't stop thinking about today's events as they unraveled over and over in his head. How could he forget it? Her taste, her warmth, her fierce determination and seemingly unwavering confidence? The way she pulled him closer, making his stomach churn with a strange mix of feelings and the wave of heat he felt flustering in his blood and across his flesh and the feeling that he needed her closer to him? How could he possibly explain the delightfully nauseating rush of emotion he felt from something that had happened in less than a minute? He couldn't.

He had kissed other girls before but this was somehow different. The reason lay somewhere in the deep, crazed confines of his complex mind and he thirsted for an answer but felt too lazy to pursue it further.

Chouji looked at Shikamaru curiously as he chomped down on a bowl of Sushi. Something about the usually bore was off. Maybe he shaved or maybe he became the world champion at Shogi. '_Whatever'_, he thought; he liked this new Shikamaru better.

"Hey Shikamaru, wanna play––?" Chouji asked, cut off by Shikamaru's fake snore.

Dimwitted Chouji scowled at "sleeping" Shikamaru and muttered, "Lazy ass only knows how to sleep."

As Chouji began walking out, Ino came charging in, her palms caked with dirt resting on her hips and a countenance that could not unfrown itself. She glared at Chouji accusingly and asked in a calm and slow but very scary voice, "Chouji…where are my tomatoes?"

Chouji gulped loudly and began to stammer, "Ino-chan, you see, well, um, I… I…, they make _**great **_sandwiches!"

Ino slapped the back of his head. "You idiot! I've been trying to grow these tomatoes for nearly two months now! Ugh! Baka! Sasuke is very particular about his tomatoes…"

This last sentence made Shikamaru frown in distaste. "Stop chasing the Uchiha boy," he said flatly.

"Hey! I thought you were sleeping!" Chouji said accusingly. Ino glared at him in a way that said, _'If you don't want another backhand from me, I suggest you shut the hell up.'_

"How can I sleep with the buffoon's annoying munching and the screeching berating voice that swallows up the entire room?"

Ino stuck her tongue out at Shikamaru, a signal to him of her unwillingness to care. "Still," Ino began, "I thought that if I can bring flowers to life, that I should be able to do the same thing for tomatoes. But the fatass over there just keeps eating everything!"

"Why the hell would you grow tomatoes for a guy?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Well, he's not just any guy! He's _**SASUKE**_! Besides, Sakura has him all to herself every day. I need to do something if I'm gonna have a chance," Ino justified. "And anyways, why do you care?"

"I don't. He's just not right for you." Shikamaru said passively, then shrugged and shut his eyes once more.

"Hah!" Ino threw her head back dramatically and burst into laughter. "And you are?" she asked him dubiously, arching an eyebrow.

"Honestly, I really don't care. All I'm saying is that he loves no one but himself but if you want you can plant your little tomatoes or whatever and hope he falls in love with you…"

"I can try," Ino defended.

"You know, the only person I could possibly see with him is that pink-haired chic; What was her name? Oh yes, Sakura. Her or some whore."

Awkward silence filled the room as Ino's face twisted in disgust.

"How come _**he**_ doesn't get smacked in the back of _**his **_head?" Chouji complained.

Ino pulled out one of her trowels and pelted it at Chouji.

"Ow! That hurt, Ino-chan!" Chouji shouted in pain, scared to say anything else.

Shikamaru laughed and Ino kicked the side of his hammock.

"Don't worry. You watch and see… I will be Sasuke's woman in less time than you think." Ino affirmed.

"Hehe. Yeah right!" snickered Shikamaru self-righteously.

"Is that a challenge?" Ino asked, exuberance bubbling through her body.

"I don't care." Shikamaru said and turned around in his hammock.

"I love challenges! Before you know it, I'll be in the arms of Sasuke Uchiha, the man of my dreams!" Ino sighed dreamily, the fan girl in her emerging.

"How pitiful," Shikamaru observed apathetically. "Alright guys. I'm heading home. Too tired to be in such exciting company…" Shikamaru said sarcastically, getting up from the hammock and waving goodbye to his comrades.

Ino, whose thoughts were still ensnared by dreamy Sasuke, looked at Shikamaru and snapped back into reality. Running after him, she called, "Hey Sleepyhead!"

"What now?" Shikamaru asked, annoyed by her presence.

"Remember our plan. No__smoking. If I catch you, you're dead. Understand? I'm not kidding. _**Dead.**_" Ino warned.

"Ok, yeah, whatever." Shikamaru said uncaringly.

Ino reached up to kiss him but Shikamaru's hands restrained her.

"Ino," he said sternly, "I'm fine. I _**don't **_need _**anything**_ from you."

Ino's face was covered in bewilderment. Wasn't this part of the deal?

Shikamaru left her standing confused and began to walk away, lost in his own thoughts.

Ino called out one last time, "Are you sure?" but he did not answer her.

Shikamaru did not want to admit it, but he felt a little bit jealous. While Sasuke could simply reject her every attempt at a relationship, Shikamaru knew Ino for years. He knew that she loved challenges and would do almost anything to accomplish them. He knew that his objections and rationales would not stop her, especially if it was against something she _**wanted**_. Furthermore, there was no way to assume that that Sasuke would think twice about taking away what he could from Ino if she offered it, and he knew she would. It just was not right. '_Whatever', _he thought, '_it's not my problem, she can do whatever she wants.'_

Shikamaru reached his porch, which stood empty and quiet. Shikamaru sat down on the wooden swing and took the cigarette box out of his pocket. He opened the box and lo and behold, every single cigarette had a lipstick mark on it.

"Heh," Shikamaru smiled as he put the box back in his pocket.

He went in his room to find it just as he had it before––clothes strewn about, books and scrolls loitering his bedroom floor and note from his mom and dad about their weeklong vacation on his dresser. Not wanting to deal with anything else, Shikamaru emptied his pockets and put them on the dresser and plopped down on his futon and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he drifted off into restless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lust Addiction: Chapter 3**

"Ino-chan, I'm…I'm sorry." Chouji apologized as Ino came back into the room.

"It's alright…" Ino consoled him, tapping him lightly on the head, like she used to do when he was just a boy. Chouji smiled with contentment. When Ino was enraged, he was deathly afraid of her, but when she was nice to him, it made his heart gleeful and joyous.

"So, Shika left already?" he asked.

"Yeah… Hey I'm gonna jump in at Sakura's, ok? I'll meet you tomorrow at seven. Don't be late or else." Ino said, rubbing her hands against her pants and rising.

"Bye, Ino-chan." Chouji affirmed as Ino came in for a quick hug and left.

As Ino walked along the sidewalk, her mind kept wrapping around Shikamaru's strange behavior. After all, he was acting pretty questionably.

Ino came to Sakura's house and knocked on the door. "Hey, Saku," Ino greeted, smiling at her cotton-candy pink-haired friend decked in an oversized T-shirt and some black and pink short boxers with cute smiley faces all over them.

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed enthusiastically, pulling her in for a tight embrace.

Ino giggled and they went into Sakura's room. Ino plunked herself on Sakura's bed with a deep sigh as Sakura resumed her spot of the carpet where she was painting her toenails and reading a romance novel. A composition by Yiruma began to play and Ino smiled at the sweet melody; it was one of her favorites.

"So, what's up?" Sakura asked.

"Oh…nothing really. I got my first kiss today…" Ino replied with an intriguing smile and an arched eyebrow.

"What?!?! Oh my god, Ino! Who with?" Sakura asked with a twinkle in her eyes, diving for details.

"Um…Shikamaru."

"Oh? That's odd… sort of a disappointment." Sakura replied with less interest.

"Yeah, well, like I said, it was nothing _really… _it was actually part of a deal for him so that he could stop smoking. He made me do it." Ino said, leaving out the part about the whole thing being her idea anyways.

"Why did you agree? Ino, that's so stupid." Sakura reprimanded.

"Well, he's my friend and I care about him. Besides, I hate anything that has to do with smoking and I don't want to end up hating him for a dumb habit like that."

"Do you like him?" Sakura asked.

"No, not really… well, kinda…it's weird." Ino said and then gazed off into space, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Hey, you look kind of pensive today… What's bothering you?" Sakura asked, a bit concerned.

'_She knows me like the back of her hand.' _Ino thought and said, "Um, when Shikamaru left today, he looked a little irritated––at me––for what reason I don't know. But when I went to, you know, kiss him the second time, he just cast me to the side and fumed off. It was kind of disconcerting."

"I wouldn't worry about it. You guys have been fighting for god knows how long, and you're still fine."

"That's really comforting." Ino said sarcastically and laughed.

"What was the kiss like?" Sakura pried, scared for the worst.

"Um… at first it was extremely awkward; I felt like running away and slapping myself senseless. But then, when we touched, it got all hazy––but a good kind of hazy. Where we were and the fact that our lips were touching completely slipped my mind. It felt good I guess, I don't know. It was my first kiss." Ino replied, disappointing Sakura.

"Aww…" Sakura said, and sighed. "Like it'll ever happen to me."

"Sakura, you are so beautiful. There are people out there who would love to be with you. I mean come on, I swear, if I was a guy, I'd totally be following you around just trying to get a whiff of your scent and trying to impress you all the time. I would make you my target. We'd fight every single day, but in the end, I'll still love you."

"That's touching." Sakura said with mocking sentiment and laughed.

"Yeah. People like Naruto. That fool still chases after me." Sakura muttered lightheartedly.

Ino laughed and said, "I started growing tomatoes for Sasuke, but Chouji ate them all."

"Ugh!" Sakura said, abruptly jumping to her feet. "Don't even mention his name. I'm done trying with him." she said with a look of revulsion.

"So does that mean you're dropping out of the race?" Ino asked humorously.

"Heh. What race? Every day I seem him and every day he ignores me and looks at me in a way that tells me that I'm useless. There was never a race."

"But I thought you loved him…" Ino questioned, trying to stop from laughing out loud at Sakura's seriousness.

"Bah! Love? What love? I can't' get the bastard to look at me much less love me."

"So, does that mean he's all mine now?" Ino asked comically.

"Yeah, if you'd like to think that. You're never gonna get anywhere. Trust me. Anyway, I'm thinking about seeing Gaara now, so obviously I really don't care."

"Gaara? A little freakish, don't you think?" Ino asked curiously.

"Nonsense, Ino." Sakura said and smirked. "That's just how I like 'em."

"Sakura, you're something else, you know that?"

"You got a problem with it? That's just me, so deal with it."

Ino smiled at her friend and laid down on the futon and sighed deeply, her thoughts converging into a massive, incoherent mess as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Sakura left the room and Ino closed her eyes and turned on her side.

Ino felt warm fingers intertwine with hers and hold her up against the wall. She felt tepid, warm lips caress her skill as they kissed gently along her neck. She felt his breath along her spin, making her tremble with delighted excitement.

'Sasuke!' Ino thought elatedly as she spun around, but was shocked to see a man different from the one she normally fantasized about. Her face spelt bewilderment.

"Ino, don't give me that look," said Shikamaru.

Ino felt violated, vulnerable and disoriented and looked around scared and hugged her arms around her body protectively.

"Huh. I see. That's how it is then." Shikamaru scowled impatiently and shook his head disappointedly but also deridingly as a pulled out a cigarette, lit it up and blew the smoke slowly out of his lips.

"I knew this would never work." he said, puffing out smoke as he walked away and faded into dark oblivion.

Ino opened her eyes and frowned in repugnance. Grunting, she sat up, rubbing her head sleepily and saw Sakura sitting in the corner with her pink bunny slippers on, a romance manga in her hand and a bowl of juicy red cherries.

"No! Hibino! Why? You idiot!" Sakura screamed spontaneously at the book as if they were going to act on her will. "She loves you, goddamn it! Baka!" she reproached the make-believe character harshly.

Ino glanced at the clock, ignoring the erratic comments of her boy-crazy and romantic friend. "8:30 already?" Ino asked herself, surprised.

"Oh I didn't realize that. I have so much work to do…god why is he so stupid?" Sakura commented, her thoughts fading back to manga.

"I'm going to head home. I don't want my dad worrying about me." Ino said.

"Oh please. Your dad could care less." Sakura said paying little attention.

Ino gave her a look and said, "Oh well. I'm tired. See ya tomorrow, hun."

Sakura blew a kiss at her as she walked out into the dark abyss on the other side of the door and said goodbye for the night.

Ino walked briskly against the chilly gusts of wind and turned into her street. As she was about to walk into her house, her entire dream flashed in her head, compelling her to turn around and go in the direction of Shikamaru's house, just across from hers. Sighing impatiently, Ino pivoted on her foot and scurried reluctantly across the street to Shikamaru's window on the far side of the house and stealthily slid it open and leapt through, landing softly of her feet. She didn't exactly understand why she was sneaking in her teammate's room, which was utterly bombarded by numerous scrolls, books and clothes strewn carelessly about and sloppy evidence of the imperfect yet brilliant inner workings of his complex mind.

Tip-toeing inaudibly across the floor so as not to disturb the snoring Shikamaru deeply submerged in sleep. Ino picked up one of Shikamaru's pants of the floor but it jingled annoyingly with coins as she scavenged. Ino looked at Shikamaru, checking to make sure that he was asleep, but as she peered closer, she made out the wryly familiar box of menthols in his pants' pocket. Leaning cautiously on the bed, she slowly tried to pull out the box. She almost took it out when Shikamaru breathed deeply and tossed his body to one side, incidentally trapping Ino underneath his warm arms.

'_Shit,' _Ino thought, trying to escape, but luckily was able to slip her arm out and also withdraw the stubborn box of poison and slid it in her back pocket. Ino began to walk, feeling pretty haughty when she tripped and collapsed heavily to the floor.

'_Damn it!' _she thought as she glared accusingly at the culprit, an inkwell that fell along with her and spilled generously onto his scrolls.

Shikamaru grunted loudly and shifted, making Ino half-scared that he woke up. Ino got back up and walked to the window and right when she was about to jump out, Shikamaru yelled with rebuke, "Ino! What are you trying to do?"

Embarrassed, Ino bit her lip and turned slowly to explain herself but remarkably seemed fast asleep even though his brows were knitted harshly; Ino knew that she was spared.

"Stop it! Don't leave! You don't know what you're doing. Chouji needs you. I need you… ugh!, you infuriating, troublesome girl!" Shikamaru muttered exasperatedly before turning again in his bed and with a mocking yet amusing smile, Ino jumped out of the window, closing it behind her. She went back home and feeling terribly exhausted, Ino threw the menthols on her bedroom floor, cast off her clothes and slipped on a nightgown, loosened her cornsilk strands of hair and plunged onto her bed and wrapped herself in her sheets, succumbing to the shadow of sleep that hung heavily on her eyelids.

* * *

**Author's note: **Hello! ^^

Ok, guys, I know that this chapter was a little crappy and lacked in action, but the good stuff is coming! I promise! It's been difficult for me to try to get these written and uploaded because of school. :\

Anyways, bear with me! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

**Lust Addiction: Chapter 4 **

"_Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!" _Ino's alarm rang annoyingly. She turned groggily in disdain in her sheets before slamming her fist on the soon-to-be-broken quacking, moaning alarm clock that her father bought for her for the 3rd time this morning.

Ino was never a morning person, even if she did go to bed earlier the night before. And she wasn't a pleasant sleeper either. Not only was she a heavy sleeper, but if you sleep with her, expect to be barricaded by her hugs and the leg that she throws over at some point at night to lock you in.

Just as she stretched out and began to settle back into her sheets, she heard an annoying tapping sound. Grunting irritably, Ino grabbed a book from her nightstand and flung it at the doorway and with a surprised "meow" from her cat, Yuki, she scampered away.

Suddenly the door shut and right when she was about to fall back into sleep, the aggravating tapping sound started again, louder this time, and growing louder and more impatient.

"Yuki!" Ino yelled portentously, but the tapping failed to cease.

"Ehem." a clear, deep voice grunted before a bright yellow light flooded the interior of the room.

Ino growled viciously and thrust the covers off her body and sprung upright on her wobbly, tingling feet to see the culprit, who she didn't exactly expect to see.

Ino widened her eyes and stared at a haughty yet questioningly disturbed Shikamaru, a deriding grin across his face and realized that she was wearing only underwear and a flimsy violet night gown and her hair was pleasantly mussed, the sunlight making the long wisps of hair shine like gold.

Without a word, Ino leapt back into the bed and caved deep into the sheets, feeling exposed and self-conscious.

Finally the tapping stopped and she heard Shikamaru emit a deep sigh. Ino slowly peeked out at him from under the covers and stared at him, unsure of what to do or say.

Impatient, Shikamaru abruptly left his place near the window and tugged the sheets swiftly, but Ino jerked them back and posed, "What are you _doing_?!", a dislocated and alarmed look on her face.

Arching an eyebrow mysteriously, he grinned at her and remained silent standing amused at her bedside.

"Why are you here? How-How did you get in? Talk, dammit!" Ino interrogated anxiously.

Chuckling, Shikamaru smiled and said turning halfway, "Heh, your dad let me in. And I shouldn't have to talk. There are many things in the world that can be expressed without words."

"Don't be a smartass with me, Shikamaru. Why are you here?" Ino said, her intensified glare aflame.

Turning and leaning closer, Shikamaru said, "Don't you already know? No? Allow me to refresh your memory." He paused and then continued, "Otou-san seemed pretty quick to let me in his sleeping daughter's room once he found out that she was smoking."

"Smoking? I don't _smoke_." Ino said, touching her lips, a hint of perplexity in her crystalline sky blue eyes.

Shikamaru looked dumbfounded; his face seemed to exclaim, _"Oh my God. What a stupid girl." _

"Oh!" she exclaimed enthusiastically as the revelation came over her and she lowered her gaze embarrassedly and became silent.

"He became worried when he saw a pack of menthols on your dresser. So, I wonder… I know you don't smoke. And you would never smoke. Why would you have a box of cigarettes?" Shikamaru asked with blatant sarcasm.

Ino said nothing, shrugged uninterestedly and caved back under the sheets.

"Why did you take it, Ino?"

"I didn't take anything."

"Don't lie to me. It's obvious. You stole my cigarettes. My scrolls were ruined and my unique arrangement of belongings was undeniably tampered with."

Ino laughed incredulously but said nothing and looked at him as if he was crazy.

Clearing his throat, Shikamaru continued, "Your dad wanted to know why you'd just start smoking. For the life of him, he couldn't think of a reason. So that's why he decided to ask me when I came over here."

"Did you tell him?" Ino asked anxiously.

"Of course not. I told him you were a stripper." Shikamaru said and laughed.

"Oh, ok." She said and hugged her arms around her fragile frame.

"That still doesn't answer the question. Why'd you take it?

"I knew you wouldn't stay true to your promise." She said innocently.

"Oh my God. Ino, you're impossible. There was never seriously a deal so I didn't promise to anything."

"Um, hello. Yeah, you did. And you don't want to do it because _you know_ you can't. You're too lazy and not enough of a man to do it. You're just a tiny rascal of a boy about the size of my thumb." Ino said with a mocking smirk as she folded her arms, aware that she was ridiculing him and shrinking his ego.

"Oh really?" he asked more curiously than incredulously.

"Really." She replied, pursing her lips.

"Fine. I'll do this stupid thing. Just for you. What do you wanna bet?" he said sarcastically and grudgingly.

Laughing, Ino said, "Don't kid yourself."

"I'll do it before you can make Sasuke your despairing lover." He challenged in an assertive voice, arching an eyebrow, feeling both a twinge of jealously and also satisfaction in belittling them.

"Then it's official." Ino said with a note of accomplishment on her face and a surprised smile on her watermelon-colored lips.

"That's if you can handle your end of the deal." He snickered.

"What do you mean? Well, kissing you isn't exactly heavenly, but I can bear the burden."

He coughed comically and said vaguely, "We'll see about that."

Consequently, like sharp icicles, her eyes bore questions in his skull but he deflected them, primarily because he was excited about what he was planning on putting her through.

Diverting from the deal, he said playfully, "Hey Sleepyhead! Didn't you tell Chouji that you'd meet him at 7? You're a little behind, princess."

Ino glanced at the wheezing clock and it read, **10:34 A.M. **

"Shit." Ino said, thrusting the sheets off and forgetting to tell Shikamaru to close his eyes. Her hair brushed against her creamy alabaster skin and her night gown did little to mask her sensuous curves. She was surprisingly dainty yet tantalizingly sultry. She slinked groggily into the bathroom and the sound of her brushing her teeth echoed through the bathroom walls.

"Go, I'll meet you outside." She ordered in a muffled voice.

Shikamaru replied, "What?" and ignored her and sat on her bed, looking the picture of team Ino-Shika-Cho. Kid Ino was giggling with an arm swung around the neck of slightly annoyed yet cheerful Shikamaru and Chouji was in the middle, timidly smiling, his chubby cheeks warming up his childish face. _'Ah, good times.' _He thought.

Ino came out of the room in her daily kunoichi attire, her long hair slinging from side to side in a high ponytail and her hips swaying without help.

"Well, let's go." She said, as they exited the room.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about the scrolls." Ino said.

"It's nothing. Just an extra 3 hours of unnecessary work. But yeah, no big deal." He said, shrugging.

Averting her gaze, she mumbled a soft "Sorry…" and bit down on her lip.

"Morning, Daddy." Ino greeted her father and beamed her gleaming white smile full of sunshine at him.

"Hey, baby. Woke up pretty late today, don't you think?" he said as she took her seat alongside Shikamaru and Inoichi passed each of them a hot cup of green tea.

"I was tired. Still am." She replied, shrugging and sipping her tea.

"Anything you wanna tell me, Ino?" he asked, peering at her beneath lowered brows.

"Like what?" she asked back, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. She didn't want to address the whole cigarette issue. Life was choosing to make a much bigger deal out of it than it was.

"Oh… I don't know. Like the cigarettes I saw in your room this morning. My musume is better than that. She don't make dumb mistakes like that, am I right?"

"Of course." She replied incredulously.

"Really? Then explain yourself," he questioned dubiously.

"Dad, I don't smoke. I hate the habit of smoking. You know that. Those cigarettes are Shikamaru's. We… we made a deal so that he would consider quitting. If he lost the game I talked to you about, I would take his cigarettes away from him. He was being pompous and was full of himself and I won, he lost… so I took them. That's all."

"Oh. Well, if that's the case, then I'm sorry I doubted you. So you're not lying to me?"

"Papa… when have I ever lied to you?"

"Everyday to be exact," he said, opening his eyes wide and pursing his lips sardonically.

"Dad, be serious. I promise you I'm not lying. Ask Shikamaru."

He looked over to an indifferent Shikamaru quietly sipping his tea. With a nod, Shikamaru confirmed that she was telling the truth, although she wasn't exactly telling the whole truth.

Ino's dad smiled assuredly at them both and turned around to prepare his own cup of tea, singing whimsically.

Ino turned to Shikamaru and peered at him gratefully. Shikamaru nodded then smirked and continued to sip his tea.

"You know, I think I'm craving nicotine." Shikamaru whispered, stealing a glance and smirking.

"Shikamaru, no… not here."

"But I have a craving," he said with faux innocence and leaning closer teasingly.

"So? It can wait." she said with blunt indifference and shrugged dismissively.

"Wait? No it can't. I guess… I'll go and take a puff," he said contemptuously and rising from his chair. At this, Ino gripped his shirt fiercely and pulled him down back on the chair.

"No. There's no need for that. Why don't you just hang on a bit?"

"My craving is getting more urgent…" Shikamaru teased and smirked, leaning in closer as she slowly backed up on her chair away from him.

"Shikamaru! What are you doing? Wait, wait. Stop. Stop!" she said desperately and he arched an eyebrow intriguingly, the smirk never leaving his lips.

"Shikamaru! This is blackmail. Stop!" she pleaded, but she found that she could back up no longer.

"So… do you have any new missions?" Inoichi asked as he turned around slowly, stirring his tea contemplatively until he lifted his head to face them, and at that moment, Shikamaru gripped Ino's shoulders and pulled her into him, clasping down on her lips and kissing her hungrily. His laughter echoed deep in his throat as he heard Ino's frantic, muffled, "No!"

Inoichi's eyes slapped open wide with shock and he dropped his piping hot cup of tea, the hot liquid burning his unaware fingers and the delicate china shattering into tiny pieces among the steaming tea that trailed along the floor.

With the sound of the crash, Shikamaru broke the kiss and grinned impudently at Ino, who glared at him, flames of fury singeing his tan skin.

Ino looked at her helplessly catatonic father in dismay and bounded out of her seat to help him.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, pulling him by the arm and washing his hot fingers under the kitchen faucet's cool water.

"Ino?" he asked, seeming to be lost in a trance.

"My God. What a mess," she remarked, scanning the shattered china and hot tea crawling abundantly across the previously immaculate floor. "Sit down, Daddy," she ordered, her eyes elsewhere as she pushed him into a chair.

She rinsed a cloth to soak up and clean up the tea and picked up the fragments with her bare hands, all the while Shikamaru sat in placid solitude, eyes sweeping from left to right as he observed her with interest with the smirk that she burned with desire to rip off his face. After a few minutes of silence and the sounds of broken china and rushing water, Yuki leapt on the counter beside Ino, gazing methodically at Ino and shooting her sparkling emerald orbs at Shikamaru. She meowed in disapproval and Ino smiled at her, caressing her downy, snow-white hair.

Inoichi stared down at the counter in front of him, his brows knitted with misunderstanding. Sighing, Ino took her seat in front of her father, making sure to scoot as far away from Shikamaru as she could, who still had the dumb smirk plastered on his face.

"Dad, you ok?" she asked, tenderly holding on to her father's stinging fingers.

Wincing slightly, her father looked up at his and asked, "So… you and Shikamaru?"

"Um, it's nothing really." Ino said immediately.

"He's––" she began, but was cut off when Shikamaru scooted up next to her and swung his arm to hug her shoulders and said, "––her boyfriend. I'm her boyfriend."

Ino swung her head around to stare at Shikamaru in utter disbelief and clenched her jaw.

"Ino, are you really his girlfriend?" Inoichi asked her hesitantly.

"Um…yes. He's––" she paused again unsurely, sighed deeply and continued, "––my boyfriend," a pained expression on her face.

"Alright!" her father exclaimed enthusiastically, avoiding clapping his hands together as he normally would. "My baby is growing up! Oh how will I live without you when you leave me?" he said with a sentimental look glazed over his eyes.

Ino rolled her eyes, mortified and embarrassed, trying to hide her sweet smile and said, "Dad, it's gonna be ok. Really, not a big deal."

"It is a big deal, honey."

"As for you, mister–––" he continued, turning and pointing a stern finger at Shikamaru, who remained as nonchalant as he was in the first place.

"This is my daughter you're dealing with. I've known you and your dad for years, but you're no exception. Hurt my baby, and you're dead. I'm sure your dad won't mind this punishment either, so watch your back. I've got my eyes on you. Remember that."

"Yes, sir!" Shikamaru grinned, confirming her father's order with a salute.

"Besides, my Ino is pretty feisty and tends to be a little temperamental, so watch out."

"Dad!" she shrieked at her father in reprimand.

"See?" he turned back to Shikamaru with an innocent expression.

"Oh, I _**know**_**." **Shikamaru replied in sarcastic agreement and Ino tried to shake free of Shikamaru's strong grip with a disgruntled look on her face.

"O––K. It's getting kinda late. Poor Chouji will be wondering why I abandoned him… so Shikamaru and I will be leaving now, ok, Father?"

"Sure, baby. Bye bye, now, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't!" he father said and waved goodbye as the pair walked out the door, Shikamaru's arm wrapped around Ino's waist. They waved him off and exited the house to meet the blazing yellow sun spreading blinding light on the earth and residing safely in the clear, blue cloudless sky, where Ino wouldn't be able to get at it.

Ino shirked out of Shikamaru's grasp, shoving his arm off. She balled her fists angrily, seething through a clenched jaw and warned him in a vexed voice, "I could _so_ punch you right now, but you know what? I'm _choosing _to spare you. Next time you _piss _me off, I'm going to make _sure_ you burn. I'm going to cut off your balls and watch them shrivel in the sun like raisins until they turn as black as coal. Test me." Ino glared pretentiously at him without even flinching once despite the blinding sunlight.

"Oh, really?" Shikamaru asked in amused incredulity.

Ino scoffed and challenged, "Heh! I'd like to see you _try_ and stop me."

Shikamaru snickered and grabbed her arm, folded it behind her back soon followed by the other and he whipped her around, pressing her into the red brick wall behind them. She lifted her leg quickly to kick him, but he just as quickly looped his legs to lock hers in place. She furrowed her brows in frustration as she struggled and failed to break his grip. She clamped down her teeth brutally several times in a futile attempt to bite him. He stared at her intensely and ordered her, "Kiss me."

Ino glared at him, outraged, and her mouth dropped in astonishment. Shikamaru arched an eyebrow and pressed her deeper, the heat from the brick wall baking in the plentiful sun seeping through her hands and back. She could already feel the unpleasant heat and the beads of sweat forming abundantly along her skin.

"Shikamaru!" she demanded, fumbling her fingers in vain against the hot brick.

"Don't make me force you, Ino." Shikamaru came closer to her face, mocking excitement conveyed in his grin.

Feeling trapped, Ino abruptly crushed her lips to his, taking his mouth by surprise. She kissed him with eager ferocity and Shikamaru's laughter deep in his throat tickled her. Shikamaru kept her hands handcuffed behind her but Ino pulled fervently towards him, intensifying her kiss. Shikamaru finally released her hands and slid his hands down to hug her hips.

Ino suddenly laughed as she kissed him. She cunningly grasped his arms, looping her leg around his and swung around, breaking the kiss and handcuffing him, slamming his back against the scorching brick wall.

Ino lifted her other leg, bent it and pressed down on Shikamaru's other thigh. She had him trapped.

"Ha!" Ino said in breathless exuberance with her chest pumping profoundly. "How does it feel to be the one who's trapped, _damsel _in _distress_?"

Shikamaru lowered his head, leaning it against the wall and laughed heartily. "To tell you the truth, it feels _amazing._"

Ino looked at him, perplexed, but drove her knee into him harder and laughed tempestuously, a conniving smirk on her lips. "Oh really, _princess?_ Feels _amazing_, does it? Ha!" she jeered and continued, "I'd like to see you get out of this one. I _dare _you to try." she challenged and laughed again, positive that he couldn't escape. '_Pure ingenuity…'_ she thought superciliously.

Sighing deeply with recognition of defeat, Shikamaru said, "You got me, Ino. Well… I guess I give up."

Ino looked at him haughtily and laughed, saying, "Well. Good. You're officially _my _bitch! Haha!"

Suddenly Shikamaru grinned widely, breaking Ino's grip on his hand. He locked her looped leg in his and grabbed the other leg on his thigh and lunged forward, flipping her both onto his shoulder and strapping his arm around the small of her back. Ino, caught off guard, and feeling an unusual mix of angst, anger, and disbelief, growled at him.

"Your bitch, am I?" Shikamaru asked amusedly, ignoring the endless, exasperated pounding he felt on his back and the grunts of indignation that the strikingly beautiful and derisorily daunting bull he held to his shoulder emitted as he strolled down the road.

"Shikamaru! Put me down, or else! Now!" she yelled, kicking her legs futilely in the slightly humid air.

"Or else _what_?" Shikamaru asked facetiously.

The blond scowled irately and with a chuckle, Shikamaru conceded and said, "Alright, alright. Hang on." as he released the flustered and flushed girl on her feet.

Ino cleared her throat and her skin was red-toned. She was quickly becoming suspiciously docile.

"Thank you." She said in a dignified voice as she smoothed the roughed up wisps of blond hair back. She grasped his hands gently and leaned forward, saying, "Oh… one other thing." She came closer to his face and slid past his lips to whisper low in his ear, "I'm inherently evil."

Before Shikamaru could piece the puzzle together, Ino rammed her knee harshly in the tenderly throbbing region between his legs. Shikamaru's eyes widened with the blazing, dizzying pain he felt on his unwarned genitals. He grunted and struggled to maintain his balance and staggered to slink against the burning brick wall which made his skin fry. The pain of his broiling skin was nothing compared to the excruciating pain that Ino delightfully bequeathed to him. He instinctually swung his hand downward to hold his throbbing member and moaned in pain.

Ino's eyes smacked open wide with comical elation and she gasped before she giggled contemptibly and ran away, yelling back to him, "That's right, Shikamaru. You _are _my bitch––and don't you ever forget it!" She laughed again and ran out into the distance.

"Ino!" Shikamaru called out wrathfully and snickered in pain and muttered, "Oh…she's going to pay for this," ignoring the immature six-year-olds across the road, guffawing and pointing ridiculing fingers at him. One girl, looking overly ripe for her age even said, "Girl's got the loser whipped," and laughed the same evil laugh that rung infuriatingly in his ears.

"Ino…" he muttered scornfully, failing tragically to alleviate his pain.

3 

Ino stopped running, because of course after a daring blow like _that_, it's not very likely that he'd be coming after her anytime soon. She strolled down the road, her heart rate gradually falling. She came to a stop and turned into a street where she saw the familiarly friendly face of one of her most trusted companions.

"Hey, bubs." Ino crooned affectionately as Chouji turned around to her meet her jovial face.

She nudged him gently with her elbow in his soft belly. Chouji stopped eating from the bag of potato chips he'd been munching somewhat worriedly on.

"Ino-chan," he said, surprised.

"Sorry I'm late. I had some… _business_ to take care of." She said shadily, but although he noticed this, he thought it best not to pry further.

"Anyways… I'm bored. Actually ready for a new mission." She said as they walked to their training grounds.

"Nah. I'd rather just kick back and relax unless Lady Tsunade assigns us one." Chouji replied.

"Gah. You don't _ever_ want to do anything."

"And you _always_ want to do something!"

"Oh well, regardless, we should train."

"So, um, where's Shikamaru?"

Ino grinned deceptively as she gazed off and said, "Mm… He won't be coming in a while, so we should just start–––"

"Actually, I'm right here." Shikamaru's deep voice spoke vaguely with a hint of unnaturally composed rage behind her. Ino turned around and Chouji glanced at him apprehensively.

Shikamaru glared at Ino and grunted as he walked awkwardly in a slinking fashion behind Ino's side.

Chouji asked him in concern, "Shika, um… what's wrong with you?"

"What wrong with me, you ask?" he asked incredulously, raising his voice before adding, "Well, what could possibly be wrong with me? I just got my freakin' balls sledge hammered by none other than our precious, beloved little Blondie over here." he complained mordantly.

Chouji's eyes grew wide with unease and he started to back away.

"And do you know _why_ she committed such an obscene, ostentatious crime in the world of men? Hmm?" He paused and then continued, "No? Ok, I'll tell you. One, I know the color of her panties. Purple of course, with the small exception of the lacy red, black and pink lingerie Sakura bought for her at "_Sin's Finest_". How do I know this? Simple… Observation."

"Um…" Chouji mumbled but could find nothing to say.

Shikamaru continued brazenly, "–– and simply because I did this." He seized Ino's arm and swung her small frame against him and kissed her aggressively, thrusting their bodies to the earth beneath them so that she was trapped underneath him.

At first, Ino indignantly ignored him, her arms folded and refused to move her lips, but Shikamaru forced them open with his tongue. He slid his hand along the creamy skin that belonged to her upper thigh and instinctually Ino hummed with pleasure from the sensation of his touch, allowing Shikamaru to move his lips in sync with his. Ino's brows knitted and she tried to rip apart their lips but failed as Shikamaru secured his lips on hers.

Ino grunted in frustration and unfolded her arms with much effort. She grabbed his hips after knocking his supporting arms down and shoved him, throwing his body to her side and quickly escaping from his barricade. Not wasting time, Ino leapt over him and plopped her body down on his stomach to sit on him.

"Hehe. Piece of cake," she remarked and clapped her hands together as if she was ridding her palms of dirt.

Shikamaru snickered and grasped her long cornsilk ponytail and tugged on it lightly to pull her slightly back. Ino clenched her teeth and swung her fist at Shikamaru's face but Shikamaru turned his head just in time to avoid the blow. Ino collapsed on top of him and with her hand she snatched the hand that tugged her hair and strung it about her nape, keeping her hold on it so as to throw his body off balance. Shikamaru clamped his free hand of her leg and held it tightly against him so she wouldn't be able to get up. They were both trapped, in the midst of trying to ambush one another.

As they were both unstable and unable to get up since they were both unwilling to release their hold on one another, as to them it was collateral, they just lay on each other, rather uncomfortably and panting.

Chouji's eyes scrambled about hesitantly from Ino and Shikamaru's indifferent, monotonous glare, uncertain of what to do. He had that queasy feeling bubbling madly inside. Ino look at him, managing to raise her head and ask, "Chouji, you ok?"

Chouji's face went blank and his knees buckled, collapsing to the ground beside them.

"Chouji!" she gasped in concern. Exhausted, Ino threw her head back into the warm, strong arm which she held. Ino sighed deeply and turned her head to Shikamaru, who kept his grip on her thigh. His breathing was slow and his eyes were closed. Ino felt her own eyelids drooping with the weight of fatigue. She inhaled deeply and let her eyelids feather down and succumbed to the comforting darkness of sleep. The three lay on the accommodating, accepting earth, sleep taking them over.

~ 3 ~

Ino felt warm breeze brush softly against her face and blow wisps of her golden hair. She snuggled her head to make herself more comfortable. Beneath her ear, she felt warmth and heard a whirring sound and steady thrumming. She furrowed her brows inquisitively and slowly fluttered her eyes open, like the opening of a flower, awakening from a night's rainshower in the absence of the sun's warmth and light. She saw the hazy vision of her teammate Shikamaru beside her with his eyes closed. She lifted her head sleepily with an indistinct vertigo and looked down on him. Shikamaru sighed, opened his eyes and turned his heat to meet her gaze.

"What?" he asked flatly.

Ino pursed her lips. Her mouth felt dry. She looked at him again and noticed that he was lying alongside her rather than underneath her. Her hand which was now free clutched Shikamaru's shirt collar and she realized that her other hand still grasped Shikamaru's and they were circled behind her neck. She realized that she had been sleeping on him. She released her hold on him and looked around her, feeling disoriented. To her left, she saw Chouji's peaceful face inclined toward Ino. He snored softly, still sleeping. This was strange since he was sleeping on his face initially. She turned back to Shikamaru who was gazing at the clouds; she got up and sat on her tree stump just behind her.

"Hey," she called to Shikamaru. "What happened? What time is it?"

"I don't care…" he said indifferently, then sighted and continued, "It's past noon. I tried to get up, but even in your sleep, you wouldn't let go of my hand. I don't know how Chouji reached over here. He must have woken up and went to sleep beside you."

"He's so cute when he sleeps. When I knew he was gonna be on my team some years ago… I thought otherwise. Hehe," she remarked, smiling sweetly and chuckling softly.

"I'm glad he's _so_ endearing to you." he said in sarcastic monotone.

It was silent for a few moments and the only sounds you could hear were the light rustle of the leaves from the soft whispers of the sun kissed breeze and the clear, gushing sound of cerulean waters from the falls.

"Shika-kun, I'm…sorry."

Shikamaru smirked ignorantly but said nothing in reply.

Ino became annoyed with this and demanded, "Well don't you think you should apologize too?"

"For what? I did nothing wrong."

"Oh really? So all _that_ was perfectly _fine_?"

"I don't care, so it doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters! If you hadn't forced me to kiss you, this whole thing wouldn't have happened."

"I didn't force you. It was part of the deal, remember?"

"Treating me like a **damn** _sex slave_ is was **NOT PART OF THE DEAL!**" she exploded, red-faced.

Shikamaru's eyes widened at the callous bluntness of this exclamation.

"Alright, Ino-chan. I'm sorry. You were right, I was wrong. I was an asshole."

"Damn right you were. Um… I mean, not _sex slave_…but you know. You abused your power. It wasn't the Shikamaru that I'm used to that I kissed today. You felt like a stranger to me."

"I'm sorry." he apologized again, remorse settling into his onyx eyes.

"I'm sorry too." She said, walking over to him. She looked at him with empathy and lifted his dejected head, holding the sides of his face with her gentle hands.

Unexpectedly, Shikamaru encircled his strong arms to hug her waist, rubbing her back comfortingly and burrowed his head on her shoulder and in the side of her smooth neck.

Ino, pleasantly surprised, embraced him more tightly, the comforting warmth spreading across her skin.

After a moment, they released each other and Ino smiled playfully at him. She tapped the tip of his nose with her index finger and said, "Love you, kiddo."

Shikamaru's lips turned up to one side in a tentative smile.

"Well, today's been pretty _eventful_ as it is, so I don't think I'm going to train today. Besides, I have to go and find a nice present for Sakura's birthday." Ino said, and began to walk away.

Shikamaru smile and said, "K."

"Oh… and wake him for me, will you?" Ino asked as she passed Chouji's restful face.

"Yeah, sure." he replied nonchalantly with a dismissive wave.

"Oh!" Ino said and started to briskly walk towards Shikamaru.

"Almost forgot," she said before laying a soft, chaste kiss on his lips and smiling bashfully before running off.

Shikamaru smiled and waved as Ino turned as said, "See you at Sakura's."

He nodded and smiled as he turned his gaze to the serene falls.


	5. Chapter 5

**Lust Addiction: Chapter 5**

"Happy Birthday, Saki!" Ino exclaimed cheerfully as she pulled her friend in for an embrace.

"Thank you, Ino!" she said, smiling widely upon receipt of a large pink box with a huge sparkly green bow atop it. She shook the box in wonder and said, "Oooh. I wonder what it is."

"You'll never guess," Ino replied mischievously and smiled.

"Hmm…" said Sakura curiously, pulling Ino into the interior of her home.

Naruto chuckled and remarked, "Well, what I got 'er is gonna be bigger and better than everyone else's! Just you wait!" His enthusiasm and anticipation were clear in his big cerulean eyes and the trademark gleaming white smile, playful wink and cheery thumbs-up.

"Are you sure he didn't get you ramen?" Ino asked lightheartedly.

"Oh, stop it, Ino." Sakura chided playfully and laughed charismatically. Her hair was elegantly half-up done in a bun with elaborate hair chopsticks. She wore a dazzling pink and green kimono-style summer dress. Her bright, marble-like emerald orbs shone like shimmering star in the night sky and her alabaster skin was radiant, glowing profusely in the pale, milky numinous moonlight.

Ino slid past Sakura and sauntered over to Naruto, who was exasperatedly trying and failing to solve a Rubik's Cube.

Tenten was across the room discussing her "toys" with Hanabi. Konohamaru became jaded after so waiting for so many minutes for Naruto to figure the Rubik's cube out, so he went and sat beside Hanabi who too wanted to be learned disciple and be and esteemed erudite in the ways of weaponry and the art of war.

Shino and Neji sat beside each other on Sakura's pristine white couch, next to Tenten and her class, each silently analyzing.

Lee was swinging like a chimpanzee and doing flips in mid-air. He was enjoying himself, but everyone was trying with difficulty to ignore his antic ways.

Ino decided to sit beside Naruto, observing his struggle with the cube amusedly as she waited for the others to arrive.

"Who invented this stupid, convoluted, discombobulating box?" Naruto demanded with perturbed discouragement.

"Naruto," Ino placated, "Look, you've got most of it solved."  
Naruto sighed, vexed.

Ino sighed impatiently and commanded, "Just give it to me."

Naruto looked confused but ceded the cube to her. With a few swift movements of her hands, she solved cube, setting the colors in their place and placed it into Naruto's dumbfounded palm.

"That's how you do it. I'm gonna see if she has anything here to eat before we go." Ino said without the least bit of conceit or disparagement as she rose from her seat by Naruto and turned to go to the kitchen with a self-assured smile on her lips; when she looked up she saw Shikamaru smirking and looking at her, flabbergasted. Leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, he said, "Hey, Ino-chan."

Ino averted her gaze and shyly whispered, "Um… hey, Shika," as she turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen when she heard Naruto exclaim in astonishment, "Dude, she just solved the Rubik's cube!"

Sighing embarrassedly, Ino entered the kitchen to find a familiar redhead preparing something on the counter.

"Hi, Gaara!" Ino said and waved happily like a cute schoolgirl.

Gaara turned around and smiled genuinely and said, "Hello." He handed her a cool strawberry covered in a blend of white chocolate, sweet dark chocolate and milk chocolate.

"Try it." he suggested.

Ino bit into the sweet, silky delicacy.

"Mmm. It's really good."

"It's just a little something I made for Saku. I was just hoping my creation wouldn't taste terrible."

"Are you kidding me?" Ino asked and smiled. "Give me another."

Outside in the main room, Sakura heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door to meet the face of her teammate, Sasuke. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and it threw her off balance. He was especially fragrant tonight; his icy, musky scent enthralled her senses. His smoldering obsidian gaze left her speechless.

Sasuke smirked haughtily and said in that smooth, deep tantalizing voice, "Hey, Birthday Girl," before slipping a small black box with a single pink bow in the center of it.

It took her a second to respond. "Uh, thanks, Sasuke. I… I wasn't sure if you were coming."

"You are 18 now after all. How could I not come?"

Sakura could think of a nasty thing to spit in his face but decided to keep quiet. Naruto, on the contrary turned annoyingly to Sasuke and said snappily, "You're _late_. Probably didn't decide to show up until 10 minutes ago, of course. We know you have _such_ a busy life, especially having to dump out tons of fan mail every day. We are grateful you have made an accommodation and fit us in to your "_oh so busy"_ schedule.

Sasuke glowered at him, conveying that he would shut him up if he had to.

Kiba, who was joking around with Hinata also noted Sasuke's heightened scent and scowled with distaste and annoyance.

'_Dude the guy __**reeks **__ of '__**I'm-So-Much-Better-Than-Everyone-Else' **_he thought.

"Hinata-chan. Why don't you go over there and pacify Naruto? He's got his knickers all in a twist," he proposed, putting an assuring hand on her shoulder and nudging her gently.

"Kiba–no, I…" she protested softly.

"Just go," he commanded good-naturedly and pulled her beside him as her walked her to Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto. What's up, man?" Kiba greeted as Naruto got up from the chair to exchange a friendly _"man-hug."_ Akamaru barked in jovial greeting. You see, cats and dogs _can_ get along.

Kiba couldn't take the smell of the snob standing close by so he escaped as quickly as he could to the Sakura's pink bathroom and white flowers, smelling sweetly floral.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, ruffling his golden blonde hair and said, "Hey Hina-chan."

Hinata smiled coyly and replied in greeting, "Hi, Naruto-kun," before Naruto wrapped his strong warm arms around her soft body and embraced her snugly. Hinata's pearly, iridescent eyes glistened and widened in surprise but she loved how it felt and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his warm, thrumming chest. She felt dazed, as if she was sleeping, the hazy recollection of thoughts escaped from her mind. Naruto released the blue-haired fairy and she plunked down on the couch beside Naruto, a slightly bemused expression on her face.

Ino came out of the kitchen with Gaara and when her eyes caught the sight of Sasuke, the one she dreamed about, she cried out, "Hi, Sasuke!" and was coming eagerly towards him and to capture him in her arms but epically failed when she tripped over his shiny black shoes, blemishing its previously perfect luster, and fell crashing down into the lap of none other than Shikamaru. Shikamaru look at the awkwardly awestruck beauty in his lap. He smirked and could not help but chuckle at her klutziness. It was hard enough for him not to burst out laughing because of the pleasure it gave him.

Ino's face was flushed.

"Hello, Ino." Sasuke finally said in apathetic monotone.

Ino looked at Shikamaru with a look of unfathomable regret and apology, and staggered to her feet to pat her black and violent-magenta skirt and black and white lacy corset. She smoothed her bejeweled bangs behind her ears and her colorful gem earrings tinkled delicately as it dangled below her ears.

Placing her hand on her hip and tilting to one side, she smiled brightly and whispered, "You look absolutely stunning," to Sasuke.

He apparently hadn't heard her… or maybe just decided to ignore her.

"Sasuke," she said, louder to demand his attention.

He reluctantly turned his head and looked at her. She stared at him for a few moments before asking, "What?" His aloofness seemed to never abscond his being.

Ino rolled her eyes disappointedly. She turned and saw Shikamaru looking at her. He smirked in a way that made her feel as if he was laughing snidely at her displeasure.

Gaara came behind Sakura and encircled gentle, strong arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, rocking ever so slightly from side to side. Sakura smiled and ran her fingers thorough his soft crimson hair and glided her hand along the side of his smooth face.

"Love, I think we should head out we'll be late."

"K, hun." She agreed, before kissing his cheek.

Sasuke saw the affection Sakura was giving to Gaara from the corner of his eye. It was unlike anything she had shown for him. Somehow this fact angered him. The more he saw, the harder his teeth gritted in his clenched jaw and the fonder she seemed to grow of the redheaded, angelic devil, the more intense the impulse to slap her for her blindness became.

_'When had this monstrosity happened?' _ he questioned. _'Where the hell was I?' _

A barrage of questions circled through his mind.

'_He's too…__**nice**__. The kindness can't be benign… What the hell? Can't she see his obvious duplicity? He's __**fake**__. Bloody fool can't even tell the difference between right and wrong.' _

Naruto's eyes glanced at Sasuke, who was glaring at the couple wrapped in each other's arms and frowned slightly. He cleared his throat and in a protective voice he suggested, "Sakura-chan. Gaara's right. We're already late. If we don't leave soon, we'll miss out on the party."

"Ok! Let's go, guys. You know Naruto's a **BEAST **on that dance floor. _Can't wait _to see _**that."**_she said good-humoredly as she jingled her car keys between her fingers and picked up her purse.

Hanabi and Konohamaru sighed in unison in disapproval since Tenten was just about to tell them the quickest way to kill someone with a blade.

Kiba finally exited the bathroom, after making sure with Hinata that it was safe to come out and held her to his side. The fruity, floral smell of Sakura is much more pleasing than his faux, wintry spiciness.

They took two cars. Sakura drove a black-cherry convertible with the rest of the girls, and they giggled the whole ride down, feeling the pleasurably chilly wind breeze against their face and blow back their hair.

Sasuke drove the guys in his big, fancy schmancy black car and the atmosphere in that musk – scented car wasn't exactly _"cheerful,"_ especially with Gaara sitting in the front seat and Naruto bouncing rambunctiously in the back next to a seemingly bored Shikamaru. Chouji tried to break the ice with innocent jokes but the car remained silent save Naruto who already knew all the jokes. Sasuke glared at him from the rear-view mirror but Naruto ignored him, and the way he rammed his gear stick back and forth since he had a stick-shift.

When they arrived at _Dancing Flamingos Exotic Night Club_, the girls actually had no problem getting in. One of the robust bouncers, wearing little to show his sculpted muscles worthy of a body builder stared at Ino and Sakura lustfully; it made them feel like they were a pieces of meat and it looked like he thought he was audacious enough to squeeze Sakura's ass, but Tenten came along and shot a look at him that quickly ousted that temptation. Hinata timidly followed and one lucky bouncer, a young, bold one too, managed to smack her ass as she walked in. The other robust bouncer grimaced at the young one as if to congratulate him.

Neji glared at the poor lad and he could feel him looking at him. Neji didn't do anything because the lucky scoundrel got away as soon as he turned and saw Neji's glower. It was a good thing Naruto wasn't paying attention because otherwise, there is no doubt that he would have pulverized his ass.

"Hey, you!" called one of the bouncers to Naruto and Naruto grinned back.

"Hey, look, it's that crazy Uzumaki kid," said the bouncer to his fellow other bouncers.

"What you doin' here? Where's that old fart?" he asked Naruto as he approached the door. It was apparent that the pair had been there several times before.

"I'm just here to have some fun. I don't know where Jiraiya-**Sensei** is. Probably hooking up with some girls someplace or being all methodical and bothering Lady Tsunade. He thinks it's loads of fun despite the beating she keeps pounding into his skull. Reminds me of Sakura."

"Oh was that your pink-haired friend that came in a little while ago with some chicks?"

"Yeah, today's her birthday, and we're here to celebrate, why?"

"Nothing, I think you got it good; have fun _**"celebrating.""**_

"Eh! What do you mean?"

"Who wouldn't want to hit that?"

"That's my friggin' sister you're talking about, pig-faced dipshit."

"Whoa, whoa. Lay off the profanity, little punk."

"Don't insult me."

"I'm not, I was just…"

"I see you anytime tonight and I _will __**deal**_ with you. Come on guys, I don't have all night." Naruto said, his eyes dark and grave as he walked in.

Colors splashed spontaneously about as they all walked in; rhythmical beats blasting through the air, which smelt of a dense, gloppy combination of sweet smelling floral perfume, cologne and unmistakably strong alcohol.

Girls were flaunting their curvaceous bodies in skimpy tops and short skirts made up of flimsy material, many of them wrapped around their men making out whorishly, necking each other and yanking their man's head back by his hair lasciviously up against the walls in dark corners where red neon light glowed on their skin.

Couples pressed into each other carnally, lust visible in their eyes, and others swayed sensually to the sweeping music on the dance floor.

An usher guided them to a table on the back wall in the center. Hinata didn't like smokers anyways, and sitting anywhere else would amount to just about that.

Sakura's eyes were vivid with vitality and glowed under the diffused club light, her smile never escaping from her lips. When Gaara took her hand, she planted a sweet kiss on his lips and Gaara blushed and smiled.

Sasuke's eyes caught the kiss and they widened upon the unexpected contact initially but then narrowed as he clenched his jaw and cleared his throat conspicuously to steal Sakura's attention and shoot him a questioning look before settling down at the table with the rest of her friends.

Sasuke and Sakura sat opposite each other at the ends of the table with Ino to her left and Shikamaru to his right.

Gaara held Sakura's hand in his on the table as he sat alongside her.

Hinata sat between Neji and Kiba, who kept joking around with the indigo-haired enchantress.

Neji was being stubborn, simply because he wouldn't let her out of his sight ever since that mindless _**buffooligan**_bouncer so impudently decided to touch his sister.

Naruto sat beside Sasuke, who was pacing indecisively on the battlefield in the vast emptiness which he calls his mind, trying to decide whether to cast the joined pair of hands that rested on the table just a few inches across from him apart.

He was too busy to silence the excited jibber jabber from Naruto and Chouji regarding something about a super cool new Ninjutsu technique that harnessed his devilish power and channeled it through a powerful permutation of his body and chakra and also about the newest flavor of Ramen that Ayame from Ichiraku's came up with. Apparently, it was _to die for_.

Tenten could see that Sakura wouldn't allow Gaara to answer any of her questions about their relationship intimacy, so she was bored.

She peeked at Neji and he gave her an inquiring glance but she quickly averted her eyes. She could see that he was grinning, barely noticeable, but it was definitely there and she wondered why.

Lee tried to strike up a conversation with Shino, who ignored him with a glance that told him he had no time for his petty prattle and just observed, so Lee in turn became engrossed in conversation with Naruto and Chouji.

As for Ino, she wasn't as annoyingly talkative as she normally is, and Shikamaru noticed. He saw her gazing longingly at _"dreamy" _Sasuke and she was biting down on her bottom lip an awful lot.

One pretty-good looking bartender came over to the group and smiled charmingly.

"Would you all like to try one of our specialty drinks tonight?" he asked and pulled out a little pad.

"Oh, yes! Me, please!" Sakura replied eagerly, her hand shooting in the air.

"I'll try it." Ino said, getting up and shrugging.

"Lemme see what you guys got." Tenten said, looking at the bartender dubiously.

Hinata rose but Neji laid a restraining hand on her arm. "Sit down," he ordered and directed his attention to the bartender. "None for this girl."

Hinata looked at him, abashed and in a disapproving tone, she exclaimed, "Onii-san! Please! It's ok. I'll be _fine._"

Neji looked at her and reluctantly released his hand and they let her climb out.

The bartender was about to open his mouth, but Shikamaru stopped him and said, "We'll let the ladies order first."

The girls went up to the bar and ordered a series of fruity cocktails and martinis, except for Tenten, who mixed Tequila and straight Vodka into the drinks and made them stronger. It didn't even faze her. Hinata, on the other hand, wasn't able to take more than three drinks and became bubbly and cheerfully tipsy.

They chose to remain sitting on the bar stools, so the guys ordered their drinks and sat at the table drinking, except for a disappointed Lee since Shikamaru prohibited the bartender from giving him anything to drink. As he learned from his last drink with some of the guys, Lee tends to become an incoherent, quite unstoppable, destructive force of nature. It wasn't such a good idea to put Lee in that state.

Suddenly a booming voice submerged through the air and echoed, "And now, our special treat for tonight… _**Queen Temptress!**_"

Down from a ceiling descended a cage, revolving mysteriously through the air. Exotic music blared from the speakers. Bright lights flickered and flashed as the cage doors disengaged and _**femme fatale**_ emerged through mist decked in a tempting skin-tight dress and dark fishnet stockings that covered her smooth ivory skin. Her ears and neck were adorned with jewels and her wild, dark blonde locks were bejeweled. Rich, lustrous cranberry lips accompanied the dark, kohl-rimmed eyes of the talented seductress.

She smirked sexily at the leering crowd beneath her and placed a flawlessly crimson painted nail between her pearly white teeth in a way that made the heart's of men palpitate with arousal. Her hips swayed to the music, her busty rack bodaciously hugging the lacy, skin-tight material and peeking out slightly.

As she slid sexily against the pole, people cheered and hooted, and Gaara, who was ignoring the all the asinine hoo-hah until now, turned his head and decided to finally glance in her way and his jaw dropped. His eyes grew wide with shock as he realized that _**"Queen Temptress" **_was his very own sister.

Gaara jumped immediately to his feet and ran to the front of the stage and in an alarmed voice, called out, "Temari!"

Temari looked down with confusion and found her brother staring up at her with a penetrating, demanding look in his aquamarine eyes.

"Gaara! Otouto…" she exclaimed in astonishment.

Gaara shook his head and leapt on stage, grabbing a nearby tablecloth and enveloped his sister in it. You could hear the boorish taunts and boos of disappointment from the crowd.

He went outside with her. She immediately turned to him and in an awkward voice she explained herself.

"Gaara…I didn't want you to know… but I strip in my spare time…I'm a _showgirl_."

"What?! Why?!" he asked, alarmed.

"I don't know. I think it's fun… and I'm good at it."

"So no one's _forcing _you to do _this?_"

"What? No. Of course not. If someone tried to oppress me into doing anything, would I? No. They'd be begging me for mercy when I'm through with them. You know that."

"Just get some clothes on and come sit with us. I'll meet you inside," he said, rubbing his temple as he reentered the nightclub.

Temari knew she had nothing beside what she had on, so she modestly fastened the tablecloth to sheathe her body and followed her brother in. She sat beside Gaara, across from Shikamaru.

"Hey, Shika," she said in a low, sultry voice.

Shikamaru looked at her peculiarly, arched an eyebrow at her, took a drink and replied in greeting, "Hey."

"What _exactly_ are you up to tonight?"

"Celebrating," he replied, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"I don't believe you. Oh, come on. There's something else on your mind. I _know _you. You wouldn't come out of your little bat cave unless it meant something… or someone else," Temari shot him a questioning glance and arched a dark brow at him.

"Ridiculous," Shikamaru remarked in denial and smirked before taking another drink.

"You got yourself a girlfriend yet? Or are you still lazing around _"studying"_?" she asked sardonically.

"You know, I'm not looking. And I actually happen to be _quite_ busy with my lazing around."

"Hmph." she scoffed and tilted her head, smirking shrewdly. She leaned in slowly towards him and asked him in more of a whisper, "Sure you don't wanna rethink getting a girl?"

Shikamaru glanced at her daring blackened navy blue eyes, pursed lips and arched eyebrow and took another drink.

"Positive."

Ino and the rest of the girls came back, their eyes scattering about and smiling in the midst of crazed sporadic giggling. Seeing that Temari had taken her place, Ino's eyebrows knitted harshly and after a long moment, she uncomfortably sat beside Shikamaru, who cleared his throat, doing nothing to help with the awkwardness.

Sakura rested her head gingerly on Gaara's shoulder and Tenten started to mumble that she was feeling cold and leaned against him.

Hinata kept on smiling with Kiba's comforting arm around her shoulders. She innocently asked Naruto if she could feel his hand and couldn't realize that it was a pretty childishly silly request. Naruto ruffled his hair in confusion before outstretching his arm. Her fingers lightly brushed against his palm, their cool, silken touch feeling good against his skin. Then she raised their palms up in unison as if comparing the side of his hand to hers and then they slipped slightly, curling in and lacing with his. She left it there and leaned against Kiba, a dazedness suddenly taking her over.

Naruto wondered if she was going to let go of his hand anytime soon, but he didn't let it bother him.

The rigidity of Sasuke's features remained intact.

Temari kept flitting suggestive glances at Shikamaru and Ino noticed, and she didn't like it. Not one bit.

All of a sudden, stimulating sounds blasted through the club and DJ Vicious' voice poured through the speakers.

Sakura became excited and was suddenly wanted to dance.

"Come on! Come, on, baby. Let's dance. Please? For me?" Sakura pleaded babyishly with her scarlet-haired boyfriend.

Although he was pretty shy and reluctant, she finally got him to give in to dancing with her.

Lee and Naruto electrified the crowd as soon as they escaped onto the dance floor and let loose, but they didn't care about the loutish jeers and guffaws of the couples and the few strippers that were near them.

Kiba eventually got Neji to let Hinata dance, but Neji didn't go with them since Tenten had fallen asleep on him. Turns out she wasn't that tough when it came to drinking after all.

"Wanna dance, lazy boy?" Temari asked playfully but Shikamaru shook his head no and said, "You go ahead."

"Suit yourself, then." She conceded, whipping off the tablecloth from her body and walking provocatively for a bit before glancing back and winking at Shikamaru. Then she walked off in her stilettos to order a drink and chat with that sexy bartender.

Ino's lip upturned scornfully at Temari but then fleeted her eyes to a lackluster Sasuke and smiled, her turquoise eyes lighting up with the prospect of opportunity.

"Sasuke, why don't you come and dance with me? It'll be fun. I promise."

"Because I don't want to? Sorry… um… no, thanks. I'm fine." he snapped curtly.

After a while, she finally pulled him by his arm and he went out to the dance floor reluctantly, glaring at her, but she deflected it.

Some strippers came to arouse Shino, Shikamaru and Chouji so that they'd act in higher spirits.

They certainly had fun toying with Shino and Chouji ended up dancing with a cute girl he found sitting by herself in a corner.

Shikamaru was resolute and refused the offer, simply because he didn't want to; he wasn't feeling up to it, which wasn't unusual for him. He just sat, watching and drinking.

Ino's dancing was just innocent fun at first, particularly because she and Sakura kept peeking at each other with laughable acknowledgement as they danced with their partners. The music created an air of brazen intimacy.

Gaara and Sakura danced whimsically and although he was rather suave, he decided to let his pink-haired companion lead the way. Sheer jubilance danced in her eyes and her spirited dancing, just for fun. Occasionally she tried out some new "moves" on Gaara.

Although Sasuke danced with Ino, it felt like he was sulking and he didn't seem all there. In fact, to Ino, it felt as if she was dancing _alone._

Then, he unexpectedly looked at her, his smoldering gaze demolishing her composure. Her pulled her on him and placed his hands on her hips. His moved aggressively and rigidly.

Ino pressed herself on him provocatively and began to play the game with him, moving her body to the music. Then Sasuke slid his fingers down her thigh and thrust his hips forward, his groin brusquely pressing into her.

Ino began to feel profoundly uncomfortable so she turned to face him. He looked edgy. He took her hand in his and twirled her in seemingly graceless, turbulent never-ending circles.

He abruptly released her hand and she spun around, seeing Sakura twirl past her in the opposite direction. She landed in the arms of Gaara, who looked down with awkward yet amusing surprise.

Ino flipped her head to meet the hesitant, confused gaze of Sakura who stood, biting her lip in front of an unabashed Sasuke, who seemed to have had this all premeditated. His eyes blazed with the black, ashen flames of obscurity and ambiguity.

Sasuke took a step toward Sakura and took her hand, then as if he needed to, he looked at Gaara requested in a tersely mocking tone, "May I?"

Gaara nodded, and though perceptive, he ignored Sasuke's arrogance and smiled, holding Ino's palms him his.

Sasuke seemed to enjoy the embarrassed signs of nervousness in Sakura –– the trembling cherry lips, the sparkling olive peridot colored eyes darting about in angst and splendor, the racing heartbeat he heard thumping through her chest and the miniscule beads of perspiration forming along her collarbone that was adorned with a ruby red crystal gem necklace bound by a gold chain that shone brilliantly even under the faint club lights.

He had seen Gaara give it to her that evening when he came out with that godforsaken klutz Ino. Gaara embraced her from behind before slipping the stunning jewel around her neck and kissing her neck and whispering softly, "Happy Birthday, Sakura." He saw Gaara place Sakura's hand on his heart when he said, "I will always love you, Sakura."

At that moment, Sakura suddenly felt the urge to protect the heart-shaped pendant and held it between her fingers. Her fingers glided along the gold engraving in Japanese characters that said _"Love,"_ the very same characters that will forever remain on Gaara's face.

Sasuke looked down at the necklace scathingly and then gripping music began to grow louder, drama unraveling in its demented, flamboyant folds.

The raven-haired, coal-eyed boy jerked Sakura and swung her about rapidly in a series of intricate moves. He heaved her towards him, pressing himself on her and in a gruff voice he whispered, "When did you start dating _that __**beast**_?"

She pulled away, chassed and twirled and wound her waist, her dress twisting and unraveling brilliantly.

She looked at him solemnly.

"How dare you? He's _**not **_a beast."

"A devil, then, perhaps but definitely a freak."

"Why are you being such a jerk?" she asked him accusingly.

Sasuke swept Sakura off her feet and lifted her into the air and dropped her, letting her foot slide in a circle about him.

"Hmm… _lingerie_?" he noted amusedly and Sakura gasped in disbelief and averted her gaze, mortified.

"What about it?"

"You're going to have sex with him," he asserted bluntly.

"What is it to _you_?" she retorted.

Sasuke spun her out and back into him, their proximity dangerous.

He stroked his transcendentally, unnaturally icy fingers along her back, his cold touch on her bare skin making her shudder and sending chilling shivers up her spine.

Sasuke was pleased at the way she quivered under his touch. He bent her back and pulled her leg up. Her innocence made her a candidate for corruption.

Not even looking back to see if Gaara was watching, he stroked his fingers along her body in straight line, from her profoundly large forehead to her wet lips to her cleavage and along her thigh. He swung her around and jerked her against him, his hot breath trailing like a disease along her skin. He placed one hand around her waist and the other slowly pressing along her inner thigh as he thrust his hips against her.

Unable to help herself, she uttered a whispering moan of pleasure then snapped and pulled herself away from him, glaring at him contemptuously.

"Of course, you know, your fling with the freak is of little, if any, significant to me."

He twirled her again and lifted her in front of him.

"I just never knew you were a whore," he remarked insolently as she slid back down in his arms, resisting the urge to kick him with a blow that would _**hurt**_ and glowered at him fiercely, grasping his inklike hair between her fingers and yanking his head back icily.

"You're a sorry excuse of a man, Sasuke."

Sakura fell to the ground and fumbled to maintain balance on her feet. Sasuke smirked tumultuously.

Sakura rolled her eyes impatiently as she was again pulled against his stone physique.

"On my Birthday, Sasuke," she remarked disappointedly before he spun her violently and picked her up in his arms, swinging her to the brink of nauseating dizziness.

As the song rolled to an end, Sasuke lowered her down quickly and whispered low in her ear contemptibly, "Well, Happy Birthday, Birthday Girl," before setting her down on her unsteady feet. Then he abandoned her on the dance floor and walked away, vanishing into a distant dark shadow. Sakura was panting and shaken when Gaara came to her aid, supporting her in his arms.

Ino smiled at Gaara and went back to find that Shikamaru was missing. Neji fell asleep with Tenten, so she just began to look for him on her own.

As she passed the sexy bartender, he told her he was out on the balcony.

She wondered why this was.

When she reached the balcony outside where the pleasurably chilly breeze blew against her skin and the midnight sky was iridescent and transcendental.

Ino saw Shikamaru leaning against the edge of the balcony and called out in a concerned voice, "Shikamaru?"

In that moment, she saw Temari turn and look at her with an amused look.

"Hey, O Smart One. I think there's someone here who'd like to see you. We'll talk. Ciao." Temari said to Shikamaru and laughed. The vamp turned and as she swept past Ino, she winked at her and took a drink from the glass between her fingers.

Shikamaru scoffed and continued to look out at the sky, sipping from his cold glass.

Ino peered at her suspiciously and she could see laughter trilling deep in Temari's eyes, the color of the mystical veil of the night sky. She shook the disturbing thoughts out of her mind and directed her attention to Shikamaru.

"You better not have been smoking, Shikamaru," she warned in reprimand as she marched briskly towards him, his back still turned.

"Or else," she continued.

She stood beside him but he said nothing nor turned to face her. Ino found this to be very impertinent. "Hey!" she demanded as she tapped the back of his shoulder.

Abruptly, Shikamaru shuffled his feet and turned to meet her cynical, slightly temperamental expression on her radiant face.

Ino was taken aback by what she saw. Shikamaru looked desolate. His eyes were reddened and glassy, as if they were dampened with the absence of tears. His gaze was rough and his eyes started deep, straight into hers. His jaw was unnaturally clenched and his stance was daunting yet to her seemed harmless. His mouth seemed displaced and he wasn't smirking. His expression was just…blank. He looked guilty and vulnerable.

Ino studied Shikamaru, and became increasingly worried.

"Shikamaru…what's wrong?" she asked concernedly, raising a delicate hand to hold the side of his face. Her eyes, as clear and scintillating as the great salty ocean waters spelt concerned curiosity and a hint of trepidation.

Shikamaru clenched his teeth in displeasure and suddenly took Ino by the lips, crushing them to his. His lips were eager, his mouth hungry. He kissed her fervently, with a passion she had never seen or felt in him before. The kiss seemed fiercely painful, angry and adamant.

Ino felt her heart pounding, the blood pulsing through her veins and drumming loudly behind her ears.

Shikamaru pulled her closer into him, his hold on her seemingly indestructible. Their lips parted and Shikamaru gazed intensely at her for what seemed to her like an eternity.

Ino looked back curiously, her hands propped up against his chest. She blinking a few times, whispering, "Shikamaru…."

Shikamaru cast his head to the side, his jaw clenched and brows knitted. He released the arms that held her so closely to him and shut his eyes, brows knitted in a pained expression and turned away from Ino and leaned on the balcony.

Ino came to the balcony beside him and leaned on it, her body inclined towards him.

"Shikamaru… what's wrong? Tell me." Ino said, her voice soothing and accepting.

After a moment, he faced her and he knew she wouldn't let him be unless he provides her with an answer.

"I––I'm sorry, Ino. I don't know what came over me."

"Oh… I see." Ino said, her eyes downcast and fumbling with her fingers.

"I was uh… craving nicotine. I didn't mean to be so _**forceful**_."

"No–no, it was fine." Ino replied quickly and looked at him in a way that begged him to not question her.

"So… what were you and… Temari talking about?" Ino asked, a touch of perverse contempt on the name of the highly provocative woman that loved to play mind games. She thought she was pursuing Shikamaru with brazen, avid precision, like a sharp blade that's been used flawlessly for eternity and yet not bloodstained once.

Then she added, "What did she _want_?"

Shikamaru chuckled and smirked, looking up at the sky. "Oh, nothing really…"

"Hmm…" Ino said wistfully, feeling as if her mind was caged in the dark shroud of ambiguity.

"I think I'm gonna leave now," he said, turning and drinking the remains from his glass.

"Oh, ok. Do you have money?"

"Yeah, I got it," he confirmed, waving his hand dismissively.

"Lemme see," she insisted, placing a hand on her hip.

Shikamaru plunged his hand in his pocket and pulled out his wallet, surprised to find a small slip of paper.

He mindlessly handed over the wallet to her and examined the mysterious piece of paper.

"_Call me, lazy boy," _was written in artful handwriting and beside the message was a blood-red lipstick stain.

Shikamaru laughed quietly and Ino looked at him surreptitiously.

"What's that?" she asked, handing his wallet back.

"Oh…nothing really," he replied and smirked as he put the paper back in his pocket.

"K, I'm going. Tell Sakura I said bye," he said as he walked past her, laying a hand on her should and removing it as he departed.

"O–K?" Ino said and turned as she saw Shikamaru scaling down the stairs.

Ino reentered the club and the lights that dimmed, the music fainter and deeper now, making one feel the forbidden romance bearing fruit.

She saw a dismal-looking Sasuke sitting at the bar, downing alcohol.

Above her, she saw Temari handing overhead out of the edge of an open cage, swinging her smooth leg meditatively back and forth. Ino caught her gaze and Temari grinned at her, sending shivers up her spine. Queer.

She saw Gaara and Sakura swaying peacefully together, her arm clasped about his neck, marveling each other.

Kiba put Hinata to the test when she proclaimed that she was going to dance with Naruto. At this point in time, Hinata laughed playfully at Naruto's tendency to dance spontaneously with such zest, lacking grace. She was being awfully coquettish ever since she got woozy from those drinks earlier tonight.

Now Lee danced with Sakura again, as vigorously as he had, just a few hours ago.

Kiba was now acting as the plaything for half-drunk strippers. Akamaru didn't seem to mind the attention he got either. Not surprising, one might assume.

Ino came to the table to see Gaara, his warm admiring eyes gazing at his green-eyed companion dancing.

"You really love her," Ino said softly, sitting down.

"I hope so," he replied and smiled.

"I'd hope so too. She took a chance with you; not all guys are like you, you know."

"Hmm…Uchicha…ah." Gaara noted with recognition and smiled, his sea-green eyes comforting and serene.

Ino looked back at Sasuke, who must have been totally drunk because he started to waltz out to the balcony without a partner––well, an air-buddy if you'd like to call it that–– and then tripped tragically over his own foot as _left_ the club. Then, in a gruffly out-of-tune, squeaky voice, he started singing the lyrics to **"Numb" **and **"What is Love?"**

It was sad––actually, more like downright pathetic. She tried not to be disgusted , but could not help laughing at him in this pitiable state.

Ino rose from her chair, stretched and yawned, saying, "I'm gonna go, now." She pulled Gaara in for hug and inhaled his sweetly spicy scent.

"Oh, my God. Sakura's right! You _**do**_smell good!"

Gaara laughed dismissively and remarked, "Well, at least I don't stink," and smiled.

"Goodnight," said Ino as she grabbed her clutch and went out into the brisk night air.

"Sweet dreams," crooned a tempestuous voice and Ino looked back and saw Temari wiggling her dainty fingers and smiling in a way that made Ino feel insecure, like she was concealing everything but could see right through her.

Ino chose to ignore her and the horribly singing Sasuke, who all of a sudden decided to serenade her. He wasn't very charming when he was drunk. In the blink of an eye, Ino vanished out into the street to look for a taxi. She'd had enough for one night.

Author's Note: Hey Guys (^^,)! What's up? Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I've been able to update because I'm on spring break, but that's soon ending… :\

I have some interesting new things that I'm going to do in the coming chapters to spice up the plot line, so it doesn't totally revolve around mushy romance. It intensifies the feelings, so yeah... It's gonna be interesting. Hopefully.

Anyways, thanks!


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